VCU Says Server with 176,000 Files Hacked

Virginia Commonwealth University says a school server that included personal data of more than 176,000 current and former faculty, staff, students and affiliates has been hacked.

The university says it is notifying everyone who may have been affected, but that it believes the likelihood that the data included in the files was compromised is “very low.”

The breach was first discovered Oct. 24.

Data included either a name or electronic identification, Social Security number and, in some cases, date of birth, contact information and various programmatic or departmental information.

The school says the server was taken offline and a forensic investigation was launched in an effort to identify what had happened and what led to the compromise.

VCU says it is working with local and federal officials during the investigation.